Titus powers



TITUS POWERS.

" Improvement in Locks for Pianos, &c.

No. 124,912, Patented March26,1872.

TITUS POWERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO HIMSELF AND LEWIS CROOKE, OF SAME PLACE.

VIMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR PIANOS, ac.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,912, dated March 26, 1872 pantcdated March 18, 1872.

State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Locks, of which the following is a specification.

Nature and Object of the Invention.

This invention relates to that class of locks designed for locking sewing-machines, pianofortes, and similar articles, in which kinds of locks the bolt is made to first project outward from the face-plate of the lock and then moved laterally, so as to hook upon the plate or catch with which it is intended to interlock. A serious objection to this class of looks, as heretofore usually constructed, especially when used for sewing-machines, has been that by sliding or vibrating the parts locked together upon each other the hook which is caught over the plate or catch could be disengaged, and by that means the sewing-machine or similar article could be, in many cases, opened without the key. .To obviate this objection a straight bolt projecting directly outward from the faceplate and fitted to a corresponding mortise, so as to prevent the parts from sliding upon each other, has been in some cases made an additional or auxiliary part of the look, but this involved considerable additional expense in construction an d extended the connecting p arts further than is made necessary by the present invention. Another objection to this class of locks heretofore constructed has been that there was nothing to prevent the hook-bolt by which the article was locked from being forced back when pressure was applied to it, so that unless the parts fitted very exactly this bolt could be unhooked by inserting a thin piece of metal between the pieces which were locked together and pressing back upon the bolt. Attempts have been made to obviate this difficulty and the one previously mentioned by constructing a lock with two bolts vibrating in the arc of circle, and in that way hooking over the catch-plate; but it is easy to see that in that case the action and strain of the catchplate upon the bolt must be oblique instead of direct. In my invention these difficulties are obviated by combining with a bolt having a hook to catch over the plate with which it s to interlock, and vibrating laterally for that purpose, an auxiliary bolt adapted to fill the spaceleft by the vibration of the main bolt in the act of lockin g in both the face-plate of the lock and the catch-plate and thus prevent the vibration or withdrawal of the hook-bolt from the catch-plate when the lock is looked, as hereinafter more fully set forth; while by further improvements in. construction in aid of this principal feature, the lock is made to operate with entire efficiency, and be cheap, simple, and durable.

Description of the Accompanying Drawing".

Figure l is a side view of the lock, with the face-plate at the left hand in the drawing, having one of its plates removed to show the internal construction. (The parts are shown in the locked position.) view of the look, also showing the bolts in the position they are in when locked. Fig. 3 is an under-side or faceview of the plate into which the bolts interlock. Fig. 4 is a section of the same through the center. Fig. 5 is a side view, similar to Fig. 2, except that the parts are shown in the unlocked position. Fig. 6 is a side view of the key. Fig. 7 is an inside view of the main plate of the lock. Fig. 8 is a side view and an edge View of the spring which holds the parts in place in the locked and unlocked positions. Figs. 9 and 10 are views of the tumbler or hub into which the key is inserted for operating the lock. Fig. 11 is an end View of the main bolt. Fig. 12 is a side view of the same. Fig. 13 is an end view of the auxiliary bolt. Fig. 14 is a side view of it.

General Description.

. with a notch in the top, as shown, which furnishes a hook at the top to hook over the topplate G, which is designed to be attached to the part to which the lock is intended to con- It. r

Fig. 2 is a plan or face nect, and which is provided with a mortise through it of the proper size and form to receive both of the bolts E and F, but not large enough to allow it to be disengaged from the hook of the main bolt when the lock is locked. Both of the bolts E and F have mortises through them to allow both to slide and the former to vibrate on the pin D, said pin serv-- will be perceived, from an inspection of the parts, that the act-ion of the tumbler H is entirely upon the auxiliary bolt F, there being no provision by which this tumbler is enabled to act directly on the main bolt E, the latter being entirely operated by the auxiliary bolt F. I is a spring provided with indentations to receive the small projection 01 of the auxiliary bolt F and hold this bolt in place either in the locked or unlocked position. The outer end of" the bolt F is made inclined from a line at right angles with its direction of motion, as shown, and when the lock is unlocked this inclined end rests against the shoulder e on the bolt E, which shoulder is also similarly inclined to fit it, as represented in Fig. 5; consequently, when the bolt F is forced forward by the action of the tumbler, it forces forward the main bolt, the latter being kept from moving laterally at first by the guidance of the faceplate of the lock and afterward by the plate G, till it has passed sufficiently far into it to allow the 'hook f to catch over said plate G, which the bolt F, still advancing, compels it to do by the inclined form of its end and of the shoulder e, the bolt E being prevented from advancing further by the end of the mortise in it coming in contact with the pin D. This lateral movement of the bolt E allows the upper end of the bolt F to pass upward alongside of it, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and

to enter the mortise in the plate G, which mortise the ends of the two bolts completely fill, or so nearly so that the main bolt E cannot be withdrawn therefrom till the auxiliary bolt F is first withdrawn.

In the process of unlocking, the auxiliary bolt F is first withdrawn till its inclined end above mentioned falls back of the shoulder 0, so as to allow the bolt E to swing back and disengage itself from the plate G, which it is immediately compelled to do upon the further withdrawal of the bolt F by the shoulder g, shown in Fig. 13, and in dotted lines in Fig. 14, striking against the arm 71. of the bolt E.

By this construction the lock is made to connect securely, and only one mortise for the bolts to be shot into is required. The look so constructed is also cheap, simple, not liable to get out of order, and is well adapted to locking sewing-machines, piano-fortes, and similar articles.

Claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the hooked bolt E arranged to slide and vibrate in the manner described, and the auxiliary bolt F arranged to pass alongside of the said bolt E, and prevent its vibration or withdrawal till the bolt F is drawn back, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of the bolts E and F and the inclined shoulder 6, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore set forth. the end of the bolt F being arranged behind the shoulder e, when in the unlocked position, and advanced alongside of the upper end of the bolt E when in the locked position, the upper end of the said bolt E being arranged in the path of the bolt F when in the unlocked position, and in a position laterally removed from said path when in the locked position, as set forth.

TITUS POWERS.

Witnesses:

THos. P. How, WM. DONNELLY. 

